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PREACH IT! In Hollywood, the march of the pig continues

February 23, 2010 | 4:25
pm

Everyone knows this town is a snake pit; no need to add a new species of animal to the Hollywood population, right? Especially if that species is a relatively adorable breed of pig that also could fit really nicely into my larger saute pan?

The logic seems sound, but not around here. Hollywood seems to be developing a genuine obsession with pet pigs. The piglet adoption stories just keep on coming.

First, Paris Hilton brought home one of these small pigs -- a breed called Royal Dandie Extreme. Hilton named the porker Princess Piglette. Now Jessica Simpson has tweeted that she, too might adopt a porcine companion. Simpson has been heartbroken since September, when her dog, Daisy, got snatched from her backyard by a coyote. Now, she tweets, “I'm thinking about getting a pet pig. Does this mean I'll have to give up pork?”

PETA is annoyed, natch.

The animal rights group tells US Weekly, “Pigs, who are smarter than dogs and every bit as sensitive to pain and stress, don't belong in Jessica's stomach or carted around as her latest accessory.”

Fair enough. But still other famous types are getting on the porker bandwagon. When I asked a breeder of Royal Dandie pigs whether Simpson had swung by to look at potential companions, I got this response:

“Not one of my piglets. Thanks for checking with me. We just delivered one to James Cameron's daughter two days ago.”

-- Leslie Gornstein

Photos: Paris Hilton, up top on the left, poses at a pre-carnival party for Devassa Bem Loura beer, in Rio de Janeiro on Feb. 13, 2010. Jessica Simpson, on the top right, pretends to work at a computer repair store for the 2008 CBS series "I Get That a Lot." Over on the left you'll find James Cameron, who has two daughters, one of whom reportedly just got a new pet. And up top there, in the middle of it all? An adorable little pig. Credits, from top left: Felipe Panfili / AFP / Getty Images; courtesy GBK; Sonja Flemming / CBS Broadcasting Inc.; Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

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